"So much has happened since I last saw you! I lost my hammer,
like yesterday, so that's still fresh. Then I went on a journey of
self-discovery. Then I met you."
Actually, most of that is complete and utter malarkey. Bonus
points for being able to use 'malarkey' in a sentence. For starters, that is a direct
quote from the opening scene of 'Thor: Ragnarok'. I know exactly where my
hammer is. It's somewhere in the garage. Or maybe downstairs in our subbasement
in an old fan box. I'm not entirely sure which one is true but it's not
missing. I really haven't been on any kind of journey of self-discovery either.
That would be fun though.
What has happened is that I've had a pretty full couple of
weeks and writing took a bit of a back seat for me. Also, per the iron clad
rules of #DaddyWrite, I am forbidden to put finger to key when Bethany is home
and she did take all of last week off work. I mean, I guess I could have published
another 'Intermission' piece. Why didn't I do that? Regardless, there's so much
to catch you up on. Therefore, like Thor, allow me to quickly fill you in on
the recent details of my life.
There was a pair of zoo trips, running audio/video at a
funeral, touring a preschool, me going to the dermatologist, various trips to
the store, an Uncle Ryan visit, Thanksgiving, a cousin play date, decorating
the house for Christmas and multiple viewings of 'Tangled'. Pretty busy, right?
Of course, in there, you have the continued development of Ethan as he gets
ever closer to walking and having a mouthful of teeth. And with that, you
basically find yourself caught up to today.
What was special about today? If you ask Ellie and Ethan,
not much. It makes sense why they would feel that way though as today marked
Bethany's first day back at work in nine days! While I may have been hoping for
a relatively uneventful day, all hope of that flew out the door right behind
Bethany as she left for work. Almost immediately, Ellie embarked on her typical
routine of screaming "MOMMY!" at the top of her lungs and pounding on
the windows at Bethany drove down the street. Shortly thereafter, I made the
mistake of trying to put Ethan down for a nap and got a earful of screams for
my trouble.
Never fear though as Ethan did fall asleep......for an hour.
Once he awoke from his slumber, he pretty much saw fit to pick right up where
he left off. With neither kid particularly happy, I decided it was time for us
to get out of the house. We loaded up the Traverse and set out on a little drive.
After about 30 or 40 minutes, I decided it was time to head back home and eat
an early lunch.
Ellie, with her pancakes topped with peanut butter and
syrup, underwent a startling metamorphosis right around this time as her
mindset changed from one of #MissingMommy to being the happy, go-lucky girl I
know and love. Unfortunately, I wouldn't get to enjoy it right away as it was
time for a nap. With both kids down, I took the opportunity to have a little
'me time' which pretty much devolved into compulsive Cyber Monday Christmas
shopping accompanied by a short YouTube session.
Before I knew it, Ethan was up and fussing all over again.
Despite my best attempts, I really couldn't keep him happy for more than a few
minutes at a time. So, as you can probably guess, Ellie was up shortly
thereafter and ready to play.
Fast forward a couple of hours and we reach yet another nap
for Ethan coupled with dinner prep and kitchen cleaning for me and Ellie. Over
the past year, Ellie has actually become quite the little helper in the
kitchen. For one thing, she already knows where almost everything belongs in
our kitchen. Seriously, I was able to test her knowledge as we unloaded the
dishwasher and dish drainer and she was rarely mistaken.
After putting the dishes away, it was time for dinner prep.
The item on the menu tonight? Chicken Stuffing Bake. Since I was working with
raw chicken, I really didn't want Ellie playing a role in that part of the
prep. The stuffing was another matter though. After I measured out the water
and tore open the bag, I left her to pore the contents into the bowl of water
and stir accordingly. At this point, I turned my back briefly only to be met by
the loudest crunching sounds I have ever heard. Ellie had decided to help
herself to a nice mouthful of dried bread crumbs. For the record, I don't think
she liked it one bit but she was way too stubborn to spit it out.
The nice part of dinner prep time is that it means Bethany's
return home is at most , an hour away. Before we knew it, she was walking in
the front door where both kids met her with huge smiles and massive hugs to
boot. I guess our kids do subscribe to that old theory. Absence does make the
heart grow fonder. Or at least reminds them that they mind enjoy the presence
of one particular parent a little more than the other. Who knows?
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